


That One Time In Seaworthy

by TheSofterGentlerMe



Series: Finn and The Moms of Power [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Finn and the Moms of Power, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25808314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSofterGentlerMe/pseuds/TheSofterGentlerMe
Summary: Adora and Catra have gone to Seaworthy to try and track down a lead on someone for Mermista. While they're there, they will make a discovery that will change the course of their lives forever.
Relationships: Adora & Catra & Finn | Adora/Catra Child, Adora/Catra (She-Ra), catradora - Relationship
Series: Finn and The Moms of Power [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862320
Comments: 12
Kudos: 151





	That One Time In Seaworthy

**Author's Note:**

> Shall we?

“I can’t believe we’re really doing this,” Catra said as they walked up from the hostel by the docks at Seaworthy.

“Mermista said that she needs someone to poke around and apparently Sea Hawk ends up just singing shanties with half the people and trying to hide from the other half when she sends him,” Adora said.

Mermista had asked them to poke around the town and ask some questions and do it undercover. Adora was in a cheerful mood as they walked towards a rundown bar called The Crabs Corner. It was fun to have an adventure again. Catra had already had to talk Adora out of wearing an eye patch when they were putting together their outfits to blend with the local merchants and sailors. She’d also tried to tell Mermista that blending in still probably wouldn't happen because having two of some of the most well-known people on Etheria doing undercover work wasn’t the wisest idea but she said that was part of the plan. 

“If you just visit a couple of these places and ask questions, it’ll be, like, perfect,” Mermista said. “Either you’ll find something out or they’ll recognize you and leave town. It’s just like the gambit from Mer-Mystery: The Clam Only Closes Once.”

Catra had done her best not to roll her eyes at the fact that Mermista was basing her policy on a pulp detective novel, especially one like The Clam Only Closes Once. She really wanted to point out that the plan to expose the kidnappers in Mer-Mystery: The Long Good Tide would have been a better method but it was Mermista’s kingdom and her mission to run so Catra had just sighed and gone along with it. 

As they approached the bar, Catra looked at Adora and said, “OK, Best Friends Squad method?”

“Do you mean go in blind and bluff our way along or just plow forward?” Adora said with a smile. 

“The first one. I’m sure Mermista would be irritated if we left part of the town a smoking wreck,” Catra said. 

Adora nodded and they both went through the doors. No one even looked up at them as Adora sat down and Catra went up to the bar. The bartender, a beefy tattooed man with a cut-off shirt to show off his arms, looked at her and it became pretty clear that he thought she was out of place. 

_ Guess it’s been a long time since I’ve looked like I fit in at a place like this, _ Catra said as she remembered a bar in the Crimson Waste years before where she absolutely had fit in, much to the patron’s dismay. 

“Whatta you two want?” the bartender said. 

“Two things,” Catra said, trying to get back into a tough voice. “Something good to drink for her and something good to hear for me.” 

The bartender looked at her with a long suffering look as he poured something in a glass and sat it in front of Catra. 

“There’s one. What are you wanting to hear for the other?” the bartender said in a bored tone of voice. 

“We’re looking for Nero and her crew. Heard they might be hiring,” Catra said as she leaned into the bar. 

The bartender rolled his eyes and said, “Listen, I gotta appreciate this in a way cause it’s almost funny. I mean, Sea Hawk at least used to be part of all this but you two? What is Mermista thinking? Sending two other princesses along instead? Come on.”

Catra sighed. She was long past the point of being irritated at being called a princess. She’d have to tell Mermista to next time assume their cover was going to be blown immediately because there was no cover. She could already see this was probably going to go like the opening to Mer-Mystery: Fair Whale, My Lovely. 

“Fine, great, yeah you figured out who we are,” Catra said as she leaned forward a little. “But come on, do me this favor. If nothing else, you keep Mermista happy.” 

“Please. Mermista sits up in Salineas and we hardly ever see her. Nero though? I see her  _ way  _ more than that. Guess which one I’d rather keep happy,” the bartender said. 

Catra grinned as she said, “So you do admit that you see Nero in here. Fairly often too it would seem.” 

The bartender grunted and leaned back and started fiddling with the glassware. 

“Nope, I’m just saying, one of them is close and the other isn’t. That’s it,” the bartender said. 

Catra was beginning to enjoy this as she said, “Well no problem buddy. I’ll just go back and tell Mermista that The Crabs Corner is Nero’s hang out and should have an eye kept on it. A really nice close eye.” 

The bartender scowled and then looked up past Catra and the scowl deepened. Catra turned sideways and did her best to watch him and see what he was scowling at. Slipping in the back door was a little kid, grimy and in tattered clothes. Their fur was matted and their ears were laid back along their head as they slipped up towards a half-eaten plate of food on an empty table. Catra recognized the look of hunger on the kid’s face and was about to say something to the bartender about getting the kid something other than scraps when the bartender bellowed out, “Hey! How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of here!?”

The kid gave up any pretense of trying to be sneaky and made a grab for the food as the bartender picked up a glass and chucked it at the kid. The glass connected with the kid in their chest and knocked them back. However, as the glass was still flying across the bar, Catra grabbed the bartender and dragged him over the bar and slammed him to the floor. The bartender started to struggle for just a moment then saw a handful of claws hovering over his face. 

“Like to pick on little kids do you?” she said with almost a purr in her voice as anger pulsed through her veins. “Guess what I like to do?” 

A few of the patrons started to stand up and then noticed Adora already on her feet with a chair cocked back over her shoulder with one hand and the other resting lightly on another. She smiled sweetly at the patrons as they all sat back down and suddenly took an immense interest in their drinks. Meanwhile, the kid hopped back on their feet, grabbed the plate, and was back out the door. 

“You alright over there, Honey?” Adora said. 

“Oh, I’m just fine. Mr. Likes to Throw Glassware at Kids though, I’m making no promises for  _ him _ ,” Catra said. She then lowered her voice so just the bartender could hear. 

“You seem to know me which means you should know my story but you were just thinking cutesy princess weren’t you? You forgot the old me and you know what, most days, I prefer to forget old me too. Then there’s rare moments like now and I remember some things that make me unhappy and guess what. You’re the one who brought them out so I guess you get to see old me now,” Catra said as she cocked her arm back, claws fully outstretched, as images of Shadow Weaver doing horrible things to her as a young child danced unbidden in her head. 

“Catra…,” Adora said low and slow in a warning tone. 

“Is the kid alright?” Catra said without breaking eye contact with the bartender. 

“I think so. They were back on their feet, had the plate, and went back out the door quick,” Adora said. “What’s the plan?” 

“I’ll leave it up to Mr. Tough Guy here,” Catra said as she leaned a little closer, brought her claws in close to his face, and stared at the man for a moment as her tail started to twitch. “You’ve got two choices right now. One, you can go through the rest of your life with some jaunty scars across your face and a desperate need for an eyepatch. I hear eye patches are a fashion accessory around here so maybe that’s not that big a deal for you but I bet throwing stuff across a bar would be a bit difficult without depth perception. Two, you can feed any kid who comes in here a good meal for free and you’ll let everyone know it too. I expect a nice large sign out front and a smile when you serve. So… which is it?” 

“Two! Two!” the bartender shouted.

Catra looked at him a bit longer. She knew it was the right thing, this guy was probably going to become the biggest charitable organization in Seaworthy the way he was looking at her right now, but a part of her wanted to take out horrible retribution against him for what he’d done. Then she let him go, stood up, and stepped over him as she walked over to Adora. Adora looked at her and nodded as she set the chair back on the ground. 

“I should have,” Catra said as she walked up to Adora. 

“But you didn’t. Thank you,” Adora said as she took Catra’s hand and gave it a squeeze. 

“Let’s go find that kid and see if they need some help, they looked terrible,” Catra said. “Mermista can wait on Nero.” 

Adora nodded as they walked towards the back door and as they exited the bar said, “Thank you for having us! It was lovely!”

“Lovely? Really?” Catra said as they stepped out into a stinking alleyway. 

“I was going for sincerely sarcastic,” Adora said. 

“Sweetheart, I love you, I really do, but you can’t pull that off,” Catra said as they both looked up and down the alley trying to spot any sign of the kid. 

“Well at least you didn’t pull that guys face off,” Adora said. “What was that?” 

“Him getting lucky is what that was. I saw him chuck that glass at that kid and I thought of…,” Catra said as she trailed off. 

Adora nodded and said, “Well I’m proud of you. That was a good choice you gave him.”

Catra snorted and said, “Wasn’t much of a choice. It’s not like he’s going to say, ‘No! Rearrange my face instead!’ is he?” 

Catra sniffed a little and nodded up the alley and the two started walking. 

“I was half expecting a call for Grayskull and a flash of light to be honest,” Catra said. 

Adora shrugged as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and said, “Really? For that?”

As they came to the end of the alley, it ran into a T-shaped intersection with another alley that came to a dead end to their left with piles of junk cluttering it up and continued on down to the main street on their right. Catra sniffed again, flicked her ears, and then said to Adora a bit louder than necessary, “Kid must have gone the other way. Shame, I wish we could have helped them out.” 

Adora nodded to the left with a quizzical look on her face. Catra nodded back and the two stepped back out of sight of the dead end and stood up against the wall. As they stood against the wall and waited they listened to the sounds of the town. A breeze swept up the alley heavy with the smell of the sea, which meant fish and seaweed, although that was an improvement over garbage. Adora started to say something and Catra shook her head and pointed at her ears. Adora saw them twitching and nodded. 

Finally, they heard a little rustling from around the corner and they both carefully looked and saw a small face peeking out from between the cracks of a stack of old crates. The kid froze as they saw the two looking at them. Adora waved a little and Catra stood still as they waited to see what the kid was going to do. When the kid didn’t move, they both stepped carefully backwards and into full view. Catra squatted down on her heels as Adora stood behind her. Still the kid didn’t move. 

“Hello sweetie, are you ok?” Adora said quietly. 

The kid didn’t move but their eyes furiously darted around and their ears twitched. 

“You think maybe they can’t hear?” Adora said. 

“No, they heard that bartender just fine I think,” Catra said. “Back up a little Adora. I’m pretty sure we’re freaking them out.” 

Adora stepped back slowly and leaned up against a wall keeping in sight of the kid. Catra shuffled back a little and then sat down on the ground and crossed her legs. The more the two looked at the kid they started to realize that they were way younger than they originally thought. 

Catra nodded back towards the bar and said, “That guy shouldn’t bother you anymore. In fact, he should be feeding you from now on if you want. Course, if you don’t want to ever go back there again, I understand.” 

The kid slowly pulled back into the crack until their face was half hidden in shadows and Catra had to remind herself not to try and go forward. Adora watched silently behind her and remembered when they were children and she’d have to go looking for Catra hiding herself away in the Fright Zone. She remembered how Catra had lashed out and that was to Adora, someone she knew. She wondered what was going through this kids head right now. 

“Hey, if you’re hungry, we can go get you some food, whatever you want,” Catra said. The kid looked into her eyes and she could tell this kid, young as they were, had already had an incredibly rough life and she felt the urge to go back and give that bartender option one. She tamped it down though because she knew that wasn’t going to help this kid right here and now. She took a deep breath. 

Adora whispered behind her, “They probably wouldn’t trust whatever we brought, Catra.” 

Catra nodded without turning around. Adora was right but she knew they had to do something. They’d both forgotten all about the reason they had come to this town. Helping this kid, right now, was all that mattered to them both now. Then she had an idea. 

“Hey,” Catra said as she took a few coins out of her pocket and held them up so the kid could easily see them. “How about this? See these? I’m going to set them down right there in the middle of the alley. We’ll walk away and let you get them ok but you have to nod that you understand me please.” 

The kid looked silently again and then slowly shook their head. 

Adora said, “Well now what?”

“I think they don’t like the middle of the alley. Do you want me to put them somewhere else?” Catra said carefully. 

The kid nodded slowly this time. Catra sat and looked around the alley, trying to think what would feel safest to the kid. Adora was doing the same and saw it first. 

“Right there on that box by where we were standing, Catra,” Adora said, nodding at it. “They can get close and not have to leave cover the whole way to it.” 

Catra looked and nodded her approval and then pointed and said, “I’m going to put these right there. Is that alright with you?” 

Once again, the kid sat silently for a moment before moving up a little and looking around the alley. Then they looked back at Catra and nodded silently. Catra nodded back at them and said, “OK. I’m going to move over there and do that now. Would you like it if I came back later and brought you some more?”

The kid nodded again without hesitation this time. 

“OK, I’ll have to go and get some more but we’ll be back in a few hours. Meet us here?” Catra said as she slowly walked over and sat the coins in plain sight on top of the box. 

Once again the kid looked at the two as Catra slowly backed up holding her hands in front of her. After a little consideration, they nodded again. 

“See you around nightfall then,” Catra said as her and Adora slowly walked backwards up the alley. As they did they saw the kid disappear back into the boxes. After a minute, they saw a small hand dart out from behind cover and grab the coins and then disappear. Adora and Catra both turned and quickly left the alley at that point and when they were back on the street they both stopped and peaked around the corner to look up the alley. Nothing moved. 

“In the bar I just thought they were small for their age, and they are I think, but they’re really young aren’t they?” Adora said as she fought back tears. 

Catra nodded as she wiped at her eyes and said, “We’re not leaving this town until we’ve got that kid some help. I’m beginning to think maybe I shouldn’t have given that bartender a choice.” 

Adora hugged her as the two walked a little way down the street and sat down on a bench. As they sat she said, “So what’s the plan? I know you have more money on you then those few coins. We didn’t need to wait.” 

“I’m being devious,” Catra said. “I want the kid to trust us so I showed them we’d leave without trying to do anything. Then we come back right at nightfall and show the kid we do what we’re going to say.”

“And if they don’t show up?” Adora said. 

Catra sat and thought for a moment and said quietly, “We turn this town inside out to find them. The bartender knew the kid. Others will as well.” 

“We can definitely get Glimmer and Bow down here quickly and probably Mermista as well. Sea Hawk too if we need him,” Adora said. “I’ll call in every single person I know and every favor I have if I have to.”

“I’m fine with that but before we invade the town, let’s just try and see if the kid even shows up tonight,” Catra said. “Before then, let's ask a few questions. See if the kid has a story.”

For the next few hours they visited a few places asking questions about the kid but most of the locals blew them off as some no-account street kid. 

“What’re you bothering with that for?” a shopkeeper asked. “Kids just trash running amok. He’ll be fine.” 

The shopkeeper quickly stepped back as she heard Catra growl a little under her breath and Adora stepped forward with an angry look on her face. 

“Whoa! Hey! Seriously! I get it but honestly the kids just…,” the shopkeeper tried to say before she got cut off by Catra slamming her hand down on the counter so hard it rattled. 

“Say trash or anything like it again and you and I are going to have all kinds of problems,” Catra said. “They’re a little kid! What’s wrong with you!? Kids shouldn’t be running around filthy alleys! You should be trying to help them out!” 

The shopkeeper looked to Adora and said, “She-Ra, please, come on! Isn’t this all a little… much? I mean, we can handle it around here.” 

Adora spit out, “Yeah, you’re handling it real well so far. And don’t appeal to She-Ra unless you really want to meet her face-to-face.” 

“Ok! Ok! What do you  _ want!? _ ” the shopkeeper said, throwing her hands into the air. 

“You’re going to help out those who need it. Not just say you’re going to, you’re going to actually do it,” Adora said through gritted teeth. “You need ideas, get with the bartender at The Crabs Corner. And just so I know it happens, I’ve just decided this town is my new project.” 

The shopkeeper stood in shocked silence and just slowly nodded her head. Even Catra had turned to look at Adora because although Adora hadn’t realized it, her eyes had flashed blue for a moment. Catra jerked her head at the door and the two left without another word. 

“You alright there?” Catra said. 

“I’m so  _ mad  _ right now!” Adora said. 

“Yeah, I tend to know that when your eyes turn blue all over,” Catra said. 

Adora looked a bit abashed as she said, “They did?”

“Don’t be down about it. If ever there was a cause for some righteous anger it’s over this,” Catra said as she gave Adora a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

As they started walking again, Catra said, “And to lighten the mood a little, may I say you reminded me a bit of one of the detectives in Mer-Mystery: Eel Confidential in there?” 

Adora snorted and said, “You have got to stop reading those, I swear.” 

“Hey, even you read that one and liked it,” Catra said as the two walked. 

“No, I liked Double Trouble’s stage show of it,” Adora said as they went towards a street food vendor. “The book was alright but it had way too much extra stuff that really didn’t need to be there.”

“Well, as long as you don’t bag on Mer-Mystery: Mollusk’s Crossing because then we’re going to have words,” Catra said as they waited in line. 

“Hey, I’m not bagging on the other one and you should know me better than that. Mollusk’s is the one book in that series that I really enjoyed,” Adora said. 

When they got up to the cart Catra ordered two servings of the noodles and bagged them up. 

“Don’t you think three?” Adora said, thinking of the kid. 

“Nope, trust me,” Catra said.

“Always,” Adora said as she gave her a little nudge with her hip. They walked back to the alley as night was falling and a few lights were flicking on in the alley. Seaworthy wasn’t the safest of towns to be in after dark, especially in a poorly lit alley, but that alley was the safest place in the area with them in it as Catra set a few more coins on the box and then had her and Adora move a bit back up the alley. 

They sat down on a few crates and started slurping away at the noodles. Adora noticed that Catra was acting like she was eating way more than she actually was and Adora wasn’t quite sure why but she slowed down and started mimicking her. It wasn’t long before they saw the kid’s face peek out from between the crates. 

“Hi!” Adora said with a wave as the kid flinched back a little. 

“Hey there. Glad to see you back,” Catra said calmly. “We’ll be moving on in a bit but we wanted to eat first. Do we need to move up the alley a bit so you can get your money?” 

The kid shook their head and disappeared behind the boxes. Again, about a minute later, a little hand grabbed the coins and disappeared. Then, shortly after, the kid’s face was again looking at them in the darkening alley. 

Catra nodded at them and took another bite before stopping and saying, “Hey, I’m just about full. Always more in these things then you think. You want the rest of this? No cost.”

Adora could see most of the noodles were still in the large cup. She realized Catra’s plan now. The kid probably would have outright refused food just handed over but they’d seen Catra eating at it and knew there wasn’t anything wrong with it. Adora could just see the look in the kid’s eyes in the light and she knew that the kid wanted that food. Adora took another bite and then said, “Yeah, you can have mine too. I’m full.”

The kid nodded and started to come forward and then froze. The desire for the food weighed against their desire to stay under cover and Catra said, “Hey, it’s cool. I’ll just put them on our box there. That alright?”

The kid nodded again and backed up a little. Adora noticed the kid didn’t back up as far this time as Catra took both their cups and sat them on the box with the chopsticks they’d been using stuck in the cups. Catra turned her back like it was the most natural thing she was doing and went back to sit with Adora and didn’t turn around as she pulled the crate around so her back would be towards the box. As she sat down she touched her eye with a finger and Adora nodded her understanding. 

“So you excited about Mer-Mystery: Kelp Kelp Bass Bass? Supposed to be out in a few weeks,” Catra said in a conversational tone.

Adora didn’t even know that but then again, Catra was the big fan but she played along and said, “Oh yeah, can’t wait. All that, you know, bass and kelp that’s going to be in it. Sounds great.” 

Catra squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before saying, “Yep, lots of that going on. I heard this one is going to go for more of a comedic tone though than the other in the series. I’ll be interested to see how that plays out.”

Adora saw the kid come out long enough to dart across the alley this time, grab the two cups, and then disappear back into the crates. Adora gave a quick thumbs up and said, “You know, I heard about an older one that I might find interesting. Mer-Mystery: Mermaid on the Isle sounds really good.” 

Catra forgot for a moment that this was a ruse and smiled a big smile as she said, “You absolutely should. It’s one of the original in the series.” 

They chatted about the series a little more until Adora really started to run out of things to say about it and then switched over to idle chatter about their day-to-day lives. The whole time, Adora could see Catra’s ears flicking back as she tried to catch a noise from behind her. She thought she could occasionally catch a glimpse of the kid herself but she wasn’t sure. 

Finally, after about half an hour, Catra got up, turned around and said into the ally, “Hey, kid. We’re heading out. Want to meet up again in the morning?” 

Adora didn’t expect an answer as she stood as well but then she watched as the kid slowly showed up between the crates again and nodded. Catra nodded back, took a few steps with Adora, and then stopped like she had forgotten something and casually turned around. 

“Hey, just wanted to say I’m Catra,” Catra said and then hooked her thumb at Adora. “That’s Adora. What’s your name?”

The kid recoiled a little at first but Catra had stopped under a light so the kid could see them both as they smiled gently at them. The kid again looked around, trying to figure out if it was a trap of some kind, and then said in a small voice, “Finn.” 

“Nice to meet you, Finn,” Catra said, giving a little two finger wave. “See you in the morning.”

They both waved goodbye and walked on down the alley and around the corner like they didn’t have a care in the world. As soon as they were out of sight, Catra leaned against a wall as tears started spilling down her face and she tried to keep her crying silent as her mouth gaped in a silent scream. Adora, crying hard herself and trying to be quiet about it as well, rubbed her back. 

“You ok?” Adora said. 

“No, I’m not. I’m not leaving this alley tonight. I’m posting up across the street over there where I can see both entrances and I swear that if I see anyone enter that alley it is the last thing they will ever do,” Catra said as she fought to bring her tears back under control. 

Adora nodded and said, “Let me get our stuff from the hostel and I’ll be right back. You take first watch and I’ll spell you six hours in.”

“Ah watch, just like bad old times,” Catra said as she took deep breaths. 

“At least it’s occasionally useful,” Adora said as she walked away wiping at her own tears.

There was a light crowd coming and going from a few of the bars along the road but none of them strayed towards the alley as Catra settled down on a shop’s steps back in the shadows and began her watch. She remembered all the times growing up when she’d run and hide somewhere in the Fright Zone when one thing or another had happened and how lonely and lost she’d felt. But she’d had Adora even then to at least come and find her and make it a little less painful.

_ And little Finn back there doesn’t even have that. Well they do tonight and every night after, I’ll see to that, _ Catra thought. 

Adora showed up about over an hour later with two people behind her wearing matching purple hoodies with the hoods pulled up. Even if Catra hadn’t known them for years she’d have been able to spot Bow just because he was caring his quiver with arrows and folded up bow and Glimmer was trying to keep her wings tucked back and inconspicuous but that was hard when they were taller than her. Adora talked to them quietly for a moment and they both nodded and Glimmer grabbed Bow and flew up to the top of a building opposite one of the alley entrances. 

Adora came back down the road and Catra leaned forward into the light for a moment before leaning back again. Adora saw the movement and came to sit down next to her and dropped their two bags down. 

“Well I was wondering what was going on but it looks like you decided to get some reinforcements,” Catra said. 

“I didn’t tell them much, just that we need to watch this alley and basically keep anyone from coming into or out of it,” Adora said. “Also, with them here, we can move so we can see straight down this arm of it and they can see straight down the other. Better field of view. Bow said he’d fire one of his flare arrows and Glimmer said she’d throw some light if they saw anything. Help those of us without your night eyes.” 

Catra kissed her quick and said, “Clever. I should have thought of that.”

“But you didn’t,” Adora said with a grin. “No problem though. I’ll be sure and remind you.” 

Catra rolled her eyes and said, “Alright, you moving first or me?” 

“Me. Going two doors down,” Adora said as she nodded in the direction she’d go and handed Catra her bag and then shouldered her own.

“Gotcha. Go,” Catra said. 

Adora stood up and moved down to another set of steps where she could see right down the alley. She did her best to whistle and as soon as Catra heard it, she moved too. As she sat down next to Adora she could see a clear view down the alley. 

“OK, go ahead and get some sleep. Going to be a long night,” Catra said. 

“I hope Finn has a blanket or something,” Adora said as she pulled her jacket close around her against the chill air of the night. 

“I should have thought of that,” Catra said as she flinched. “Do you think we should have Sparkles drop one in the alley?” 

“I don’t know. You seem to be handling this pretty well and I think you’ve got a good idea of their thinking,” Adora said. “What do you think?” 

Catra thought for a moment and grimaced as she said, “No. If we’d done it earlier I think we could have pulled it off but having it just drop in now would probably just freak them out.”

“If it gets too cold, we’ll try anyway,” Adora said. 

“Ok, deal,” Catra said. “And Adora? I want to bring Finn with us if we can.” 

“What do you mean?” Adora said. 

“Just what I said. If they don’t have a safe home I want them to come live with us for as long as they want,” Catra said. Adora gripped Catra’s shoulder and nodded. 

“I’m on the same page as you. Speaking of pages, is there a Mer-Mystery that covers this?” Adora said, trying to smile a little. 

Catra snorted a little and said, “Staking out an alley? Yes, plenty. For why we’re doing it? Not a one.” 

Adora gave a snort in response and leaned back against the wall with a balled up shirt as a pillow then but even without looking, Catra could tell she wasn’t sleeping. Adora was watching down the alley as well. Every once in a while, someone would walk out of one of the backdoors and Catra would tense for a dash down the alley but they just threw out a bag of trash and went right back inside. After a while, Catra finally heard Adora go to sleep. Catra sat and watched, hardly blinking and on edge. 

As the crowd started to thin out a little in the late night hours, Catra sighed and knew she’d have to wake up Adora. She could feel the tired really beginning to creep in and she feared falling asleep without someone else up and missing something. She reached over without breaking eye contact with the alley and shook Adora’s shoulder. Adora’s eyes snapped open. 

“Everything alright?” she whispered. 

“Yeah,” Catra whispered back. “Just a few people taking trash out. No one’s approached the end. It’s your watch.” 

“Alright, get some sleep if you can,” Adora said as Catra curled up in a corner so her eyes were lined up with the alley.

Adora stepped out for a moment to stretch and saw Glimmer lean over from the top of a building down the street and give her a thumbs up. Adora returned it and went back and settled down to watch. Soon, nobody was out on the streets and it was just the night wind and the streetlights for company. Adora sat quietly as she glanced up occasionally at the star's slow overhead journey. The constellation Mara rose late in the night this time of year and Adora knew that when she was directly overhead that it’d be close to day break. Time passed slowly and Adora tried to keep her mind busy working her way through the outline for her next planned survey but her mind kept drifting back to Finn hiding in the alley. 

_ I hope they’re at least getting some sleep,  _ Adora thought. 

She remembered just how quickly she’d agreed with Catra about giving them a home and she thought about that. She’d never really wanted to raise a kid. Her and Catra had discussed it before and they both thought they’d be terrible mothers. When they both thought about raising kids the only lived framework either had was being raised in the Horde and they both knew that was no way to raise a child.

Scorpia and Perfuma had a few kids that the two loved dearly but it was pretty easy being an aunt. Adora knew it’d be way harder being a mother of any kind, especially one that did it right, but she was determined to see it done right for as long as it was necessary now that it was in her path. As she chased thoughts around her head through the night, she finally noticed that Mara was overhead in the sky and Adora thought she could maybe see a little more light in the sky as well. She touched Catra’s shoulder once and then pulled back as Catra’s eyes snapped open. 

“What’s going on?” Catra said. 

“It’s almost daybreak. What’s the plan for this morning?” Adora said. 

“Breakfast. We get three this time and see if the kid will take one from us,” Catra said as she stretched. They both grabbed their bags and walked down a few doors as Bow and Glimmer came down to meet them. 

“And Bow and Glimmer?” Adora said. 

Catra waved up at them as Glimmer held Bow and with a few flaps of her wings, started coming down the front of the building.

“Out of sight for now I think,” Catra said.

As they landed in front of Catra and Adora, Glimmer yawned and with her hood down her sparkling hair was a mess. Bow looked a bit more awake himself but not by much. 

“Adora, when you first called I thought, ‘Oh this will be fun! Just like old times!’ This has instead been long and boring. What is going on? Is this about that Nero?” Glimmer said. 

Catra gave Adora a look when she realized just how little Adora had filled them in on. Adora shrugged back and Catra said, “No, it’s not. Short version, there’s a kid hiding in that alley and they’re all alone. We’re trying to help them.” 

“Why did you leave them there? Why not just, you know, grab them?” Glimmer said before she suddenly flinched. “Ok, that sounded terrible even as it was leaving my mouth but you know what I mean.”

“Starlight, I think they’re trying not to scare the kid,” Bow said with a yawn as he scratched at his beard. 

Glimmer gave him a push and said, “I get that but really, what are we going to do?” 

Adora said, “Well, we decided we’re going to try and get the kid somewhere safe.” 

Bow looked up and down the street a little and said, “Safe? In this town?” 

Catra grinned a little and said, “I think you might find this town a little friendlier after yesterday.” 

“What did you do?” Glimmer said accusingly. 

“More importantly are they going to recover any time soon?” Bow said with a laugh.

“No mauling happened and we’ll tell you the rest later,” Adora said. 

Catra was starting to get antsy as the sky was getting brighter and said, “Listen, I really appreciate you two coming to help even without really knowing why but we told them we’d be there at daybreak. So here’s the plan. If you two can at least spare us a morning watching out of sight again, we can handle it from there but we really have to get moving.” 

Glimmer smiled and gave Catra a hug and said, “Hey, we can spare you more than just a morning. Go, we’ll meet you back here later.” 

Catra and Adora took off quickly to find some breakfast as Bow and Glimmer watched them go. 

“Somewhere safe they say?” Bow said thoughtfully with a grin. 

Glimmer snorted and said, “Of course those two would go about becoming parents in the most unconventional way imaginable.” 

Shortly afterwards, Adora and Catra were walking back down the alley, right on time if a little out of breath, with a bag of breakfast burritos and a few drinks. They could see the face of Finn peeking out from the crates watching them walk their way. Both smiled at them and Catra took out a burrito tightly wrapped in paper and said, “Hey, we brought you your own. You alright with that?” 

Finn thought about it for a moment and nodded and then said, “Yes.” 

Adora almost burst into tears at their little voice but managed to keep a smile on her face as Catra walked forward and set the burrito on the box. She put a small juice box next to it as well. Then she turned around and Adora could see her fighting to hold it together as she walked back to the two crates they’d had dinner on the night before. 

They both sat down and unwrapped their food and started eating. Finn watched them for a moment and then slowly came over and got their food off the box. They stood there for a moment watching them and holding the food and they both had to resist running up to them and hugging them. The two could finally get a good look at the matted fur and ragged dirty clothes. Finn’s eyes kept flicking around, constantly taking in the surroundings. Then Finn seemed to suddenly realize they were standing in the open and quickly scurried back behind the crates. 

Adora could see Catra’s hand, the one out of sight of Finn, digging long furrows into the plastic of the crate she was sitting on. Adora didn’t realize herself at first just how tight she had one hand around the juice box she was drinking from until she noticed the dampness from the crushed box dripping through her clenched fingers. She dropped the box and sighed. 

“Now what?” Adora said. 

“Now nothing,” Catra said as she carefully took a bite. “We eat.” 

Adora nodded and began to eat her burrito. She didn’t taste it at all. The two both talked about something, trying to be as relaxed as possible, but they didn’t remember a word of the conversation as they both wondered what they were going to do next. They finished up the food and tossed the garbage in the bag when Finn suddenly poked their head out again. Catra and Adora both froze and smiled at them. 

“Are you going to come back tonight?” Finn asked. 

“Would you like us to?” Adora responded. 

Finn looked at her a bit nervously and then looked at Catra. Catra nodded at them and said, “If you want, we’d like to. We can come back at noon if you want instead. No reason you have to wait until nightfall to eat.”

Finn thought about this proposition and then nodded in silence. 

Catra said, “Anything you want? We can get it and bring it with us.” 

Finn looked confused and then their eyes got a bit bigger and they quietly said, “I can choose whatever I want?” 

“Sure you can,” Catra said. “You always got a choice with us.” 

Finn thought and thought and then said, “Mittens.” 

Adora felt her whole heart crumble. She’d been waiting for something like candy or a toy but she wasn’t ready for something so basic as mittens. She bit her lip hard as she tried to keep the smile on her face. Catra quietly reached out and took her hand and squeezed tightly. 

Catra said, “Sure thing, Finn. We’ll bring you a couple pairs. We’re going to go now, ok?” 

Finn nodded and the two turned around and walked back down the alley. At the end, they both turned around and saw Finn standing out in the open, still close to cover but fully visible and watching the both of them. Catra and Adora both waved at Finn and they waved back at the two before turning and running back to cover. 

As Catra and Adora got out of sight of the alley, they went and sat down on the nearby bench as Glimmer teleported herself and Bow next to them. 

“Was that the kid!?” Glimmer said in astonishment. 

As Catra and Adora both took a deep breath and wiped at tears Adora said, “That’s them. Their name is Finn.” 

Bow had tears welling up in his eyes as he said, “They’re so small! I thought you meant like, a teenager or something, but they’re just a little kid!” 

“Well at least they’re talking with us a little and agreed to meet with us at lunch,” Catra said as she lay her head back, feeling exhausted. 

“I think we’re at the point I need to go and let Mermista in on what’s going on. She needs to know about this, especially if you’re going to be taking this kid home,” Glimmer said. 

Adora and Catra sat up a little and Adora said, “We just said we were going to get the kid to a safe place. How did you know that we were talking about taking the kid home?” 

Glimmer gave a short laugh and said, “We’ve known each other  _ how _ long now?”

“Fair. When you go tell Mermista see if she knows of anyone looking for a lost kid. Although honestly, based on all of this, I doubt it,” Catra said with a spike of anger at whoever would leave a kid behind. 

“We’re going to go now,” Glimmer said. “Meet you here right before lunch?” 

Catra nodded and said, “Be as quick as you can. The more I think about it, the more I don’t want to let that alley out of my sight as much as possible.”

Bow nodded and said, “I wish Melog had been able to come along. They would have been handy. Invisibility, could just hang out there, and we all could have just sat right in the alley all night.”

“Well next time I see them, I’ll suggest it,” Catra said. “Last I heard they weren’t even on planet but I’ll probably see them before the year is out.”

Bow laughed and then he and Glimmer jumped out leaving Catra and Adora alone on the bench. 

“You want me to go and get the mittens alone?” Adora said. 

“Would you? Please?” Catra said.

“Of course but when I get back you need to go and take a break yourself,” Adora said as she stood up. 

Catra nodded in agreement and then pointed down the street a little as she saw the bartender of The Crabs Corner putting up a sign that said, “Kids eat free! Anytime!” 

Adora put her hand on Catra’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze as the bartender stepped back to look at the sign and gave a little nod of satisfaction. As he turned to go back inside he saw the two sitting up the street and looking at him. He turned a little pale for a moment but he nodded and gave a little wave to the two. They both waved back and he went back inside. 

“Told you it was a good choice instead of the other option,” Adora said. 

“Go get the mittens,” Catra said with a laugh. 

After she left, Catra paced up and down the street a little and people took one look at her face and gave her a wide berth. She wondered if Finn spent all their time down in the alley and then she suddenly realized there was no way they did. There had to be another way in and out of there. With that realization, her anxiety turned up a notch as she realized Finn might not even be back there right now and could be running around the town by themself. Catra took a deep breath and forced herself not to go sprinting back there to find out. 

_ If they don’t show up for lunch, worry then but for now, just wait,  _ Catra told herself. And then kept telling herself, over and over, until Adora showed up a little while later. 

“Ok, I got a couple different colors. What do you…,” Adora said rummaging around in the small paper bag she had in her hand before she looked up and noticed Catra’s face. 

“What happened?” Adora said, immediately on edge. 

“I just realized that Finn probably has a way in and out of that alley that we can’t see!” Catra said. “I’m not even sure if they’re back there right now or not!” 

“Do we go right now and check?” Adora said. 

“We shouldn’t and I’ve been telling myself over and over to wait for lunch but I am freaking out!” Catra said. 

Adora closed her eyes and took a breath before looking at Catra and saying, “We’ve played it out this long, we wait. Glimmer and Bow will be back before lunch. That’s not that long, we can wait.”

Catra looked like she was going to argue for a moment before she deflated and nodded a little. Adora hugged her and they slowly rocked back and forth on the sidewalk. 

“You need to take a break. Now,” Adora whispered with her forehead against Catra’s.

“No,” Catra whispered back to her.

“Yes, Catra, I’m serious. We’re running on sharp emotions, hardly any sleep, and greasy breakfast burritos. Take a break. We can’t screw this up. We need to be sharp. For Finn,” Adora said. 

Catra looked at her and then said in a voice of pride, “That was low.” 

“I learned from the best,” Adora said. “Now, seriously, just go walk or sit down or something for a little bit, just as long as it isn’t around here. I promise you’ll hear if I need you.” 

Catra nodded, gave her a final tight hug, and then slowly walked away. Adora settled down on the bench and sprawled her legs out in front of her as she leaned back. She crumpled the bag in her hand a little and then smoothed it back out, again and again, as she watched and waited. She noticed there seemed to be less people walking around the area since yesterday and she wondered why, it never occurring to her that word had probably gotten around about them being in the area. Instead, it just made her uneasy. 

Catra came back a little while later and sat down on the bench with her arms across the tops of her legs. The two didn’t speak but briefly bumped their forearms together as they waited. After a little more silence, Adora said, “What do we want to get for lunch?”

Catra looked around and spotted a food cart a little way down the street and said, “Whatever their serving.” 

“Well here’s to random food then,” Adora said. 

Catra gave a little grunt and started tapping her feet on the ground. Not too long after, she saw Glimmer and Bow, trying to be incognito again with their hoods up, coming down the street. Walking along beside them was someone wearing a green hoodie with the hood up as well.

“And the party gets bigger,” Catra said.

“It was a simple request. Just, you know, ask a few questions,” Mermista said as she walked up and flopped down on the bench on the other side of Adora.

“Come on, you should know us better than that,” Catra said. 

Glimmer leaned up against a lamp post next to the bench as Bow sat down on a large planter with nothing growing in it on the other side. 

“Is Finn alright?” Bow said. 

“We haven’t seen them but we’re assuming so for now,” Adora said. 

“How long have they been on the streets?” Mermista asked. 

“I don’t know,” Catra said. “Long enough.” 

“That poor little kid,” Bow said. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be alone like that with no one really caring.” 

Glimmer nodded at Bow but Catra and Adora just shared a quick look. It was something that the other three would never really ever fully understand but Catra and Adora, they could imagine it all too well. 

“Forget about it, Bow, it’s Seaworthy,” Mermista said. 

When Glimmer and Adora looked at her in shock, Catra put her hand on her face and said, “Not the best time to be quoting a Mer-Mystery, Mermista.” 

“Sorry. I’m just trying to cope here,” Mermista said.

“It’s alright. I should be used to it by now,” Adora said as she gave a playful push at Catra.

Glimmer finally spoke up and said, “Not that this isn’t fun to listen to but what’s the plan? If we need to set up round the clock to bring Finn food and clothes in the alley, I guess that’s doable somehow but really, we need to be talking about how to bring them out.” 

Catra nodded and said, “I’m going to see if I can get them to stay out and talk with us a little this time. Maybe I can get them to come with us. I’m hoping it won’t be much longer.” 

“Well at least we got more eyes if we have to stand watch again tonight,” Glimmer said. 

“What’s the matter, Sparkles? Watch a bit much for you?” Catra said with a grin. 

“Hey, Horde Scum, I’ll watch you under the table,” Glimmer said with a matching grin. 

“That didn’t make sense, dear,” Bow said. 

“Doesn’t have to. She knows what I meant,” Glimmer said. 

Adora put her hand over her eyes and sighed and said, “Let’s get lunch now. You three, get out of sight. If we do manage to come out with Finn, keep your distance until we wave you over. We’ll go from there.” 

Mermista nodded and said, “Just like Mer-Mystery: The Mermaid with the Whale Tattoo.” 

“Except Finn isn’t a spy and Catra and Adora aren’t double agents of any kind,” Bow said. 

Everyone looked at him a little and he said, “What? They’re good.” 

As Adora stood up off the bench she gave a long suffering look at Glimmer and said, “We’re surrounded.”

“No, you’re surrounded. Bow finally got me into them,” Glimmer said. 

“I give up,” Adora said as she threw her hands in the air and then shook her head with a smile.

They said quick goodbyes as Adora and Catra started to walk down to the food cart as the other three went walking the other way up the street. The food cart turned out to be serving pressed sandwiches and they got a small variety with some bottled drinks and went walking back up the street. They both glanced out of the corner of their eye as they passed one arm of the alley but didn’t see anything and kept going until they got to the entrance they’d been using. They walked down the alley with bags in hand and for a moment felt a sense of panic when they got to the end and didn’t see Finn anywhere. Then they heard a little rustling and Finn looked out at them again. 

“We got some sandwiches here,” Catra said as she knelt down and took each one out and unwrapped the four they’d bought and carefully sat them on the box. She then took the bottled drinks out and sat them down in front of the box. Finally, she had Adora hand her the bag with the mittens in it and sat that down as well next to the drinks. Adora went back and sat down on their crates.

“Got you a couple pairs of mittens too,” Catra said. “Anyway, come on over and take a pick of the sandwiches and a drink. You don’t have to pick a pair of the mittens, they’re all yours.”

Catra shuffled back a single step and then sat still in a crouch. Then it became a waiting game. Finn looked at them both. They looked at Finn. Time stretched long and thin as Catra tried to keep her breathing steady as her heart pounded in her chest. Adora watched it all, full of anxious energy because she knew Catra was making a big gamble now. Would Finn risk coming over within arm’s reach of Catra to pick up what they offered? Had they gained enough trust over the last few interactions? Were they moving too fast? But what was too fast to try and save a little kid living in an alley in a town that didn’t seem to care at all? 

Finn took a hesitating step forward before stopping again and Adora’s heart soared with hope. They looked at Adora and then at Catra again then down at the food and the open bag of mittens. Catra smiled and nodded but said nothing as Finn looked at her again. Finn took another step and then stopped again and Catra felt she’d die, she’d burst, but she held fast. 

“Two?” Finn said, pointing at the drinks. 

“Sure,” Catra said. 

Finn took the final steps. Adora covered her mouth with her hand and tried not to cry. Finn picked up a sandwich and tried to pick up two drinks but their small hands couldn’t handle both. 

“Hey, just take the one for now and you can get the other one in a minute. It isn’t going anywhere, I promise. Is it ok if I take those two sandwiches for us?” Catra said as she carefully pointed at the two closest to her. 

Finn looked at her with surprise on their face that she’d ask permission but nodded. Catra leaned forward and carefully took the two and then sat back on her heels and held one of the sandwiches behind her for Adora to come and take as Catra said, “She’s just going to walk up and take this one.” 

Finn nodded again and watched Adora warily as she came up and took the sandwich and then went to sit back down again. Catra took a bite out of her sandwich and started chewing. Finn looked at her and then slowly started backing up again. Catra dug her toes into the bottom of her boots and felt her claws go straight through the bottom and hit the steel shank in the sole as she did her best to keep her composure. 

“You ok?” Catra said. 

“Stay,” Finn said, pointing at the ground at Catra’s feet. Catra nodded and it took every ounce of both of their wills to watch Finn go back into the crates. They both nibbled at their sandwiches but could barely eat as they waited. After a little while, Finn crept back out into the open without any food in their hands but crumbs all down the front of their clothes and walked over to the other drink they’d tried to take earlier. They picked it up and took it back behind the crates but then came back almost immediately and was soon looking at the mittens. They picked out one from two different pairs and put them on. Then they squatted down and hugged the bag to their chest, the mismatched mittens clean and bright against their grubby clothes, and looked at Catra. 

“Finn, can I ask you something?” Catra said as she sat her sandwich down.

Finn nodded. 

“Are you by yourself?” Catra said. She said it as calmly and carefully as she could but she could feel her insides clench as she did. 

Finn nodded again. 

“I’m sorry, Finn. I know what it’s like to be alone and lost,” Catra said, as she remembered long empty corridors.

Adora could see Catra’s tail swishing furiously and knew exactly what she was thinking about when she said that and had to fight the urge to run up and comfort her. 

Catra nodded back at Adora and said, “I’m lucky though because I’m not alone anymore and I have lots of friends. Adora, she’s my closest friend. How about you, Finn? Would you like to be friends too?” 

Again, time seemed to stretch out. Adora held her breath and Catra held herself still. Finn looked at the both of them and then carefully nodded. Adora had to hold back a sob of relief and Catra gave a smile that hid the explosion she felt like was going on in her chest. 

“That’s great, Finn. I’m glad we’re friends,” Catra said and then she decided to go for broke and held her hand out for a handshake. 

Finn froze for a second, their eyes flicking back towards the crates, and Catra silently cursed herself for overstepping but she kept the hand outstretched anyway, hoping. Then, slowly, carefully, Finn took a step forward and solemnly shook Catra’s hand. She thought she distantly heard Glimmer whoop but kept her focus. 

“Now that we’re friends, would you like to come and sit down with us over here?” Catra said. 

Finn thought again and then nodded. Catra stood up and got a smaller box for them to sit on and put it down in front of the two other boxes that Catra and Adora had been sitting on. Catra sat down and Finn sat down as well. Adora smiled and complemented Finn on their choice of mittens. Finn clutched the bag a little tighter to their chest but said nothing. Then Catra asked Adora some inane question about work and Adora responded. They did that for about a minute as Finn sat on the box clutching their bag of mittens, staring at them both with big eyes. 

Catra finally looked around the alley and said, “Finn, I don’t know about you but this box isn’t the most comfortable to sit on. Would it be ok if we went out and sat on the bench on the street?” 

Finn’s eyes got bigger and Catra could see fear in them. She leaned down a little and said, “Finn, we’re your friends right?” 

Finn nodded. 

Catra said, “If you don’t want to go out there, that’s fine, we’ll sit right here. You’re our friend now though. That means that we will not let  _ anything _ bad happen to you anymore. We’ll protect you, it’s what friends do. I promise.” 

Adora nodded solemnly and said, “I promise too.”

Finn stared back and forth between the two and then stood up and nodded. 

“Come on then,” Catra said. “Let me get the sandwiches and drinks. Do you want to go get your other one?” 

Finn nodded and ran to get their drink and then came back out with it shoved in the mitten bag. Catra and Adora gathered up the rest of the food and the three walked down the alley together. As they came out onto the street, Catra was sure she heard Glimmer whoop this time. The three walked over to the bench and sat down, Finn crouched in between the two of them. Adora could feel them shaking in fear. 

She took her jacket off and said, “Hey, Finn, you seem cold. Wrap this around you and you can be nice and warm.” 

Finn looked at her as she carefully wrapped them up in it. Soon, the jacket was sticking up over the top of Finn’s head and they watched the world through the opened zipper. They’d calmed down though and Catra and Adora started pointing out shapes in the clouds. Finn was quiet and didn’t say much but did pay attention and occasionally pointed out a shape themself. After a little while, Catra saw Glimmer, Bow, and Mermista down the road from them, just standing around. 

“Finn, remember when I said I had lots of friends?” Catra said. 

Finn nodded as they looked up at her out of the depths of the jacket. 

“Well I think I see some down the road. I think they’d like to be your friend too if you want to meet them but if you don’t we can just do it some other time,” Catra said, as she nodded down towards the other three and tried to sound dismissive.

Finn leaned forward a little to look and then sat back and looked back at Catra. They seemed to be weighing a decision and then nodded. 

“Alright, I’ll get them over,” Catra said as she waved at the three. 

They quickly came walking up, pulling their hoods down, and Catra motioned behind Finn’s head to stay back a bit. The three waved a little and Bow crouched down so he was level with Finn’s eyes peeking out of the jacket and smiled at them. Finn pulled back a little.

“These are our friends, Glimmer, Bow, and Mermista,” Catra said pointing at each one. “Everyone, this is our new friend Finn.”

“Hey there, Finn, I really like your jacket there. Very cool,” Mermista said. 

Finn looked at her, not quite sure what to do. Bow waved a little again and Finn pulled the zippers closer together until only a single eye peeked out but in pulling them together, they pulled the jacket down a little and their ears poked out the top and pointed straight forward at the three. Glimmer smiled and just plopped herself down almost in the gutter in front of the bench and Adora grinned to see the Queen of Bright Moon sitting cross legged in the road and leaning forward with her wings fluffed out to the side so she wouldn’t sit on them. 

Glimmer put her hand into her hoodie pocket and then brought it out and held her hands together like she was cupping something small in it as she looked down into it. Slowly a faint pink and purple light flickered between her fingers. She looked up at Finn for a moment and then looked down again into her hand and seemed to whisper something and then acted like she was listening as she nodded her head. The light got a little brighter and she nodded again. Finn opened the jacket a little wider and leaned forward a little, fascinated by the light. Suddenly the light dimmed a little and Glimmer smiled at Finn and then leaned down and acted like she was whispering again and nodded towards Finn. The light started to glow brighter again and Finn soon had their whole face out of the jacket as Glimmer slowly opened her hand.

Hovering above her hand was a small almost see through pink and purple fish that sparkled as it swam back and forth above the surface of her open hands. It looked at Finn and shyly waved a fin at them. Glimmer said, “Finn, this is Ella. She’s shy though. Would you like to say hello to Finn, Ella?” 

The fish shimmied a little and then its mouth opened a little as if saying hello. Finn, wide eyed, said, “Hello.” 

The little fish swam from Glimmer’s hand and swam a little closer to Finn. The other four watched in silence as Finn’s eyes tracked Ella’s movements. It came closer, stopped, came a little closer, and then stopped. 

“Go on, Ella. Finn won’t hurt you,” Glimmer said with a smile. Finn carefully reached a hand out and Ella swam over the top of their hand for a moment before swimming a quick circle around it and then balanced up on her tail and gave another little wave. Finn slowly reached out with their other hand to touch Ella and their finger went through Ella. Finn gasped a little and looked up at Glimmer. 

“Ella is an illusion, honey,” Glimmer said. “It’s make believe but that’s ok, it’s fun to have make believe isn’t it?” 

Ella swam up Finn’s arm for a moment before quickly swimming over to hover around beside Finn’s shoulder. Finn smiled for the first time and said, “Can Ella be my friend too?” 

“Of course,” Glimmer said. “Anytime you want me to bring her out, you just ask ok? But she’s getting tired now and I need to tuck her away for some rest. Would you like to say goodbye for now?” 

Finn quietly said goodbye to Ella as the fish swam in front of them and gave a little wave again before swimming through the air back into Glimmer’s hands. Glimmer gently cupped the fish and then carefully acted like she was tucking the fish into the pocket of her hoodie as she dismissed the illusion. Finn watched and then pulled back into the coat just a little. Bow sat down next to Glimmer and Mermista moved and sat on the planter. Together they all sat quietly except to take time to point out an interesting cloud. 

Later, as evening was coming on, Catra carried Finn snuggled half asleep and wrapped up in Adora’s coat as they walked down the streets towards a room in the hostel. They got a larger room for all of them this time and crowded in. Finn woke up as they all sat down and looked around in confusion and a little bit of fear. They’d all told Finn what was going on but the reality of it was weighing on them. Catra sat them on one of the three beds in the room and said, “I know but just hang on for a minute, kiddo.”

She turned around and shooed Adora off the only bed in the room that wasn’t a bunk bed and yanked the mattress off and then leaned the bed frame against the wall, tucking it behind one of the other bed frames to hold it in place. She slid the mattress under the frame onto the floor and then took a few of the sheets they were renting from the place at a ridiculous rate and covered the frame so as to create a hidden spot under it. Then she tossed in a blanket and a pillow and said, “There you go, Finn. You want to sleep there?” 

Finn nodded and quickly crawled out of sight, dragging Adora’s jacket with them and taking their bag of mittens and still unopened bottle as well. They all heard them settle down and Catra carefully peeked in and nodded and then sat back on a bed. Glimmer had already crawled onto the bottom bed of one of the bunk beds and pulled her hood up, and then promptly passed out. Bow sat down at her feet and pulled her shoes and socks off and put them neatly on the floor and pulled a blanket over her. He then scooted up a little on the bed and leaned back against the wall and sighed. 

“How did we use to do this  _ all the time? _ ” Bow said. 

Adora yawned as she said, “Speak for yourself. I’m still fresh.” 

Mermista rolled her eyes as she straddled the only chair in the room and leaned against the back.

“So… now what?” she said.

Catra sat on the floor leaning against the bed frame of the other bunk bed across the small room from the one Glimmer was starting to quietly snore on, as Adora sat down on the mattress of the bottom bunk and put her hand on Catra’s shoulder. 

“I’m not entirely sure. First we need to figure out how to get them into a shower and get their fur cleaned up. Probably need to get a doctor to check them out as well. Get them some new clothes too,” Adora said. “Then we should try and find their parents, find out what happened. Mermista, you think you can contact all the local towns? Find something out?” 

“Sure. You probably should check the other kingdoms as well. Bow could you… and Bow is passed out,” Mermista said as she looked at him with his head lolled down onto his chest as he started to snore in counterpoint to Glimmer. 

“That’ll be fun to try and sleep to,” Mermista said with a sigh.

Catra gave a chuckle and then said, “Well, while the search goes on, we’ll take Finn back to our place. We’ll just convert one of the guest bedrooms into a room for them. If you hear anything we can get Glimmer to get us back quickly.”

Mermista looked at them with an uncharacteristically serious face and said, “Are you two ready for what’s coming?” 

Adora almost made a glib comment about how they could handle anything but she stopped short. Catra pulled her legs up to her chest, crossed her arms across her knees and sat her head down. She could hear Finn’s breathing become more even as they slipped deeper into sleep. Finally Adora answered and said, “It doesn’t matter if we’re ready or not, it’s already on us. Besides, we made them a promise.” 

Catra reached up and gripped Adora’s hand.

“We did and we’re going to see it through,” Catra said. 

As they settled down for the night, each of them slowly slipped off to sleep. Through the night, one or another of the group would wake up briefly, listen for the sound of Finn breathing and then drift off again with an eye on the little fort where Finn slept on through the night, safe and secure. 

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I said this series would be mostly fluff with hardly any angst. *waves in the direction of The Lyrical Anthology* I think we all knew that wasn’t going to last. Thank you for reading though and I hope you enjoyed it! And thanks to my wife for letting me read this one to her multiple times before it was finished and my apologies to my wife for taking longer then I thought to get it done so she could hear how it turned out. 
> 
> When I originally came up with the idea of Catra and Adora taking Finn in, and eventually adopting them, I knew that I wanted to do that with them not as a baby but as a younger child. But how to do that? Then I had an idea that they’d find Finn as a street kid. Then I realized I couldn’t just have a street kid running around like, Bright Moon, it had to be a grimier town for lack of a better word. Hence, Seaworthy, probably the only town that we see in the show that would fit, aside from somewhere out in the Crimson Waste and it almost took place there instead. 
> 
> All the Mer-Mystery titles were a blast to come up with (I included them at the end of this note if you're interested). Each one is a riff on some kind of noir or detective media and I leave it as an exercise to the reader to figure out each one (let’s be honest, it shouldn’t be that hard). I should also say that Adora’s opinion on Mer-Mystery: Eel Confidential is not mine. The extra plot development that the book gave was good, aside from a few issues, and really added to the world the novel was working at building. DT’s production was still good though and really cut down a very involved plot to its essentials so it could be shown on stage and shown well. It’s a good example of media being translated over to another medium and being its own, equally good, thing. 
> 
> I’ve said it before about other stories and I’ll say it again on this one. Some of this was emotional to write. I have never regretted my decision to not include profanity in my work here. However, I will say that I was sorely tempted to put some choice words into Catra’s mouth when she was dealing with the bartender. It was hard to leave Finn in that alley and work through that slow process of the two trying to get Finn to trust them. Glimmer whooping when they get Finn to come with them was me. Finally, in case you're wondering if I have an idea of how Finn ended up in that alley I’ll say that yes, I do but that's all I'm saying for now. 
> 
> Mer-Mystery Titles Used  
> 
> 
> *   
>  _Mer-Mystery: Fair Whale, My Lovely_   
> 
> *   
>  _Mer-Mystery: The Clam Only Closes Once_   
> 
> *   
>  _Mer-Mystery: The Long Good Tide_   
> 
> *   
>  _Mer-Mystery: Eel Confidential_   
> 
> *   
>  _Mer-Mystery: Mollusk’s Crossing_   
> 
> *   
>  _Mer-Mystery: Kelp Kelp Bass Bass_   
> 
> *   
>  _Mer-Mystery: Mermaid on the Isle_   
> 
> *   
>  _Mer-Mystery: The Mermaid with the Whale Tattoo_   
> 


End file.
